Frequently Asked Questions

At Firetree, we are committed to producing single-estate, bean-to-bar chocolate of the highest standard. Our facility, in the heart of Cambridgeshire in the UK, is regularly audited to comply with Salsa food-safety standards, Kosher and Halal requirements.

We provide information about each of our products in the Ingredients and Nutritional information section on every product page and we are happy to help with any questions via our online chat, or you can email the team at info@firetreechocolate.com

This page provides extended information on the following:

Allergen and dietary information
Ingredients and nutrition
Cocoa sourcing
Packaging and recycling

ALLERGEN & DIETARY INFORMATION

Q: What allergens are in Firetree chocolate?

A:Firetree Chocolate is made in a facility that handles dairy ingredients.

For our dark chocolate and 100% cocoa chocolate to be designated as suitable for vegans, we ensure that we use separate equipment for dairy ingredients or clean down thoroughly between batches. Whilst this meets the requirements for vegan designation, it may not be sufficient for those who have a dairy allergy, so please exercise the appropriate precautions before purchasing.

Whilst we do not currently have any products in the range that contain nuts, our ingredients may contain traces of nuts and may therefore not be suitable for those who have a nut, peanut or sesame allergy.

Allergens are shown in bold or CAPITALS on the website product pages and on product packaging.

Q: Is your Chocolate Vegetarian or Vegan?

A: All Firetree Chocolate products are suitable for vegetarians, and most are suitable for vegans. We advise you to check the Ingredient & Nutritional Values tab on every product before purchase. All our chocolate is manufactured on equipment that also processes milk and nuts.

Q: Is Firetree chocolate Halal?

A: All the products made directly by Firetree Chocolate are suitable for a Halal diet. We are certified by Halal Certification Europe (HCE) to produce chocolate. There are a few gift boxes in our range which are not Halal as they contain alcohol products or products sourced from partners who do not currently undertake Halal certification. Please check each product for specific information before purchasing.

Q: Is Firetree chocolate Kosher?

A: The Firetree Chocolate facility is certified by KLBD to supply Kosher chocolate and all products made directly by Firetree Chocolate are certified Kosher. There are a few gift boxes in our range which are not certified Kosher as they contain products sourced from partners who do not currently undertake Kosher certification. Please check each product for specific information before purchasing.

Q: Is Firetree chocolate suitable for a Coeliac diet?

A: You should always seek medical advice from a professional before choosing to eat or not eat a particular food concerned with a diet or medical condition. We can, however, tell you that gluten is not in any of the ingredients used to manufacture Firetree Chocolate.

Q: Is Firetree chocolate suitable for a Keto diet?

A: The higher the cocoa % in chocolate, the lower the carbohydrate. Chocolate with a higher cocoa percentage contains increasingly less sugar. 100% cocoa has the lowest level of carbohydrates as it contains no sugar. Note: you should always seek medical advice from a professional before choosing to eat or not eat a particular food concerned with a diet or medical condition.

Q: Is Firetree chocolate gluten free?

A: Gluten is not in any of the ingredients used to manufacture Firetree Chocolate.

Q: Is Firetree chocolate nut free?

A: Whilst we do not currently have any products in the range that contain nuts, our ingredients may contain traces of nuts and may therefore not be suitable for those who have a nut, peanut or sesame allergy.

Q; Is Firetree chocolate dairy free?

A: Firetree Chocolate is made in a facility that handles dairy ingredients. For our dark chocolate and 100% cocoa chocolate to be designated as suitable for vegans, we ensure that we use separate equipment for dairy ingredients or clean down thoroughly between batches. Whilst this meets the requirements for vegan designation, it may not be sufficient for those who have a dairy allergy, so please exercise the appropriate precautions before purchasing.

Q: Is Firetree chocolate sugar free?

A: Sugar is added to all our chocolate except 100% Cocoa products which have no added sugar.

Q: How much sugar is in Firetree chocolate?

A: All chocolates contain some amount of natural sugar from the cocoa beans. We add unrefined cane sugar to help bring out and compliment the complex flavours inherent in the chocolate. The amount of sugar added depends on the type of chocolate. The higher the cocoa percentage, the lower the amount of sugar added.

The exact amount of sugar contained in each product is shown under the Ingredients & Nutritional tab for each product.

Q: How much caffeine is in the Espresso Papua New Guinea Coffee chocolate?

A: There is around 40 – 45 mg of caffeine per 25g serving of chocolate.

QUESTIONS ABOUT NUTRITION AND INGREDIENTS

Q: Is Firetree chocolate organic?

A: Our cocoa is not certified organic, but we prioritise sustainable sourcing and ethical practices and several of our origins are farmed organically by default. We work closely with our farmers, pay them directly, and ensure high agricultural standards are met. The remote volcanic environments of our cocoa origins are naturally nutrient-rich and require little to no intervention from chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

Though many of the farmers who produce our cocoa beans use organic practices to grow cocoa, they are not certified organic, so we do not claim certified organic status.

Q: Does Firetree chocolate contain traces of lead, cadmium, mercury, or arsenic (heavy metals)?

Every consignment of cocoa beans that we buy is tested through at least one product that’s made from those beans. We test for cadmium, lead, mercury, and arsenic.

Only cadmium has a specifically defined legal level in chocolate under UK/EU law and to date, our results have shown that our chocolate consistently falls well below those levels. The levels for other heavy metals are more broadly defined in law. All our analysis to date has shown that levels of heavy metals in our chocolate are below the maximum safe levels designated in specific legislation for heavy metals in food and we do not consider them to pose a risk to the consumer.

Of all the islands and farms from which we source our cocoa, none stand out as being better or worse. All tests to date have indicated that the levels of cadmium and lead in our cocoa is significantly lower than the levels deemed safe under UK/EU legislation.

All our data is maintained in accordance with UK/EU regulations, and we share it with legal bodies and authorities whenever required.

We recognise that there has been a level of conversation around heavy metals in chocolate following an American study and consumer report from 2023. We understand that your concerns about safety should be addressed, so read on if you want a little more information on this subject:

Cadmium and lead are the heavy metals most associated with chocolate and have been studied the most. Cadmium is soil bound so the cocoa plant, Theobroma Cacao, adsorbs it during the growth cycle. This means that the levels of cadmium in cocoa grown in a particular area are consistent over time as the cadmium levels in the soil do not change.
Lead, too, is soil bound but can also be affected by the local environment. If a plantation was next to a busy road, for example, the lead from leaded petrol could increase local levels of soil-bound lead. Although their numbers are few, there are still some countries that use leaded petrol even now.
There are some scientific papers that have looked at cadmium and lead levels from a specific country. When it comes to cocoa, these studies have tended to focus on larger cocoa producing countries as there is an economic case for such a study. By looking at these studies, in addition to our own data, we get a general view of the levels of heavy metals in cocoa producing regions around the world. Studies have shown that the highest levels of heavy metals are generally found in cocoa from South America, followed by Central America.
The EU limit for cadmium in chocolate with greater than 50% cocoa is 0.8 parts per million (ppm). In some studies, cocoa from South America ranged from 0.3ppm to 2ppm, averaging around 1.4ppm. In central America, ranges have been found from 0.1ppm to 1.2ppm, averaging 0.5ppm. Most of our cocoa comes from remote islands across the Pacific where, overall, the level of cadmium averages at 0.3ppm – well below permitted UK/EU standards.
Heavy metals occur naturally in the soil. They can also be present because of the industrial world we live in or past industrial practises and are, as a result, found in many foods we eat such as cereals, bread, leafy vegetables, legumes and nuts. As a craft chocolate producer, it’s important to us that we take care to ensure that the chocolate you buy from us is as safe as we can possibly make it. Knowing where our cocoa comes from, and always buying from those same farms, helps us to be confident that our tests for heavy metals and their low and safe levels in our chocolate will be consistent over time.

Q: Is Firetree chocolate high in flavanols?

Flavanols are naturally present in cocoa beans, but the levels can vary for several reasons.

During the chocolate making process the level of flavanols is reduced as the cocoa beans go through the various production processes. Unfortunately, this is unavoidable.

The general rule of thumb is that the higher the cocoa % of the chocolate, the higher the levels of flavanols. According to peer reviewed studies, Flavanol content of 100% Cocoa can be anywhere between 50mg per 100g up to 1500mg per 100g.

We do not test our chocolate for flavanol levels, so make no claims to specific levels or claimed health benefits.

Q: Why are your 100% cocoa products not called chocolate?

It’s a particular quirk of our legal framework that for chocolate to be called chocolate, it must contain added sugar. So, our 100% cocoa shouldn’t really be called chocolate as it does not contain any added sugar and therefore does not meet the legal definition of chocolate. That said, you will find us referring to it as chocolate as we know that is how consumers would generally understand it.

Q: What is sunflower lecithin?

A: In food technology, lecithin is described as an emulsifier. It is a generic term used to describe a substance which is amphiphilic and assists in the stabilisation of two media that are normally immiscible. That’s the science! What is means in practise is that it allows different ingredients to mix that wouldn’t normally do so. The most common example is oil and water. When making chocolate, lecithin helps the ingredients combine and to stay in place. This makes the liquid chocolate flow better when we are depositing it into the chocolate moulds.

At Firetree, we use only sunflower lecithin which is both allergen free and GMO free. Read our blog to find out more about why we use sunflower lecithin in some of our products. For products without lecithin, shop this collection.

Q: Is Firetree Chocolate made using the Dutch process?

A: No.

The “Dutch Process” is used in the manufacture of cocoa powder.

Typically, cocoa powder has a pH of around 5. The Dutch Process raises the pH of cocoa powder to a more neutral 7. This gives it a richer, darker colour and gives the cocoa powder a earthier and milder flavour.

At Firetree, we do not use Dutch Processed (also known as “European style” or “Alkalised”) cocoa powder in our current range of milk or dark chocolate.

QUESTIONS ABOUT COCOA

Q: What cocoa beans are used in Firetree chocolate?

A: The subject of cocoa species and varieties is extremely complex. Whilst cocoa was once classified into three groups – Forastero, Trinitario and Criollo, more recent and advanced studies have shown these to have little botanical basis.

In any case, detailed species mapping is rarely done by small-holder farmers. Nowadays, cocoa is more generally categorised as either bulk or flavour/fine cocoa. The cocoa we buy falls into this latter category – selected specifically for its flavour profile and for which the farmer can command a premium for their expertise.

Q: Do you support Fair Trade/sustainable farming?

A: Firetree Chocolate is not Fair Trade certified. However, sustainability is at the heart of our chocolate. We have strong relationships with our farmers or their chosen co-operatives and agri-centres and make regular trips to the cocoa farms to meet them, to inspect the farm and to further our relationship.

We check employment records, contracts and paybooks and talk to as many employees as possible to verify what we have seen. We check the ages of employees to ensure no child labour is used. We aim to pay a premium above the market rate, giving our farmers the chance to provide for their families and commit to high agricultural standards. We also work closely with relevant Government agencies and independent NGO’s (non-Governmental Organisations).

All the farms we purchase cocoa beans from are family-owned and practice multi-cropping to help promote biodiversity and encourage symbiotic planting relationships and pest control. The farms are all based on nutrient-rich soil that requires little, if any, fertiliser.

Q: What steps does Firetree Chocolate take to ensure its cocoa is ethically sourced?

Sustainable cocoa

We purchase our cocoa directly from farmers or their chosen co-operatives and agri-centres. Before selecting a cocoa farmer/supplier, we conduct background research to establish that the farmer is the legitimate owner/ leaseholder of the farm. This will reveal if the land is agricultural land or illegal land potentially carved out of protected rainforest.

An audit of the farm, co-operative or agri-centre reveals how the farm is managed in terms of sustainable agricultural practices such as “good agricultural practices,” multi-cropping and kitchen garden integration.

Ethical cocoa

Before we take on a farmer/supplier we establish who owns the farm, who is employed on the farm and verification of signed pay books and payment at the agreed national pay level for employees.

In the case of complex family farms, we establish who the owners and participants in the agricultural business are, and ensure the “participants”, both men and women, are aware of the agreed contract price and where and when the money for the cocoa will be paid, ensuring as much clarity and transparency as possible.

Firetree Chocolate pays over the average farm gate price for our selected cocoa, ensuring the selling price to the farmers is sustainable.

The countries where Firetree Chocolate buys its cocoa have strict educational attendance requirements for all children up to the national minimum age (15 or 16 dependant on the country). In these countries, school attendance is mandatory and enforced. Nevertheless, before taking on any farmer/supplier we will cross check with the local authorities that the potential farmer/supplier is known and registered.

During the audit we identify any person on the farm who appears to be young/underage and cross check their age against their paybook. To date, we have never found any underage people working on farms which supply us, but this action reinforces our position on child employment with our farmers/suppliers.

Finally, before we agree any supply contract, we require the farmer/supplier to agree to the National Law of their country and do not seek to, or actually have, anyone under the national age for children working on their farm.

Q: What is meant by single-estate chocolate?

A: Single-estate cocoa doesn’t have a legal definition, but it is generally understood to mean that the cocoa is sourced from a single farm, estate or collective. Almost all our cocoa farmers farm on just a few hectares of land bordering one another. Whilst the ownership of the land may be shared across many farmers, the amount of land that they are farming is relatively small and within one specific geographic location.

This latter feature is important in our denoting single-estate chocolate. Single-origin chocolate, by comparison, typically relates chocolate made from cocoa sourced from a single country, but may mean that the cocoa is ranged over several distinct geographies within that country.

Q: What’s the difference between a co-operative and an agri-centre?

A: Co-operatives are typically owned and run by the cocoa farmers who elect a board to represent their interests. They pool their resources to enable them to invest in the infrastructure required to process the cocoa from fermentation and drying to packaging and exporting.

An agri-centre is a separate entity that buys the ‘wet’ cocoa beans directly from the farmer and manages their processing. This means that the farmers who typically have just a few hectares to farm and are growing other crops for market can be paid more quickly for their work. Working in this way, ensures that even the smallest of farmers have a low-friction route to selling their crop.

Who we work with to buy our cocoa depends on the location:

· Solomon Islands, Makira Island – farmer direct (Lucy farms her own cocoa and buys from other farmers, effectively operating a small agri-centre)

· Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal – agri-centre

· Philippines – co-operative

· Papua New Guinea – farmer direct

· Madagascar – farmer direct

· Vanuatu – farmer direct

· Tanzania – agri-centre

QUESTIONS ABOUT PACKAGING

Q: Is Firetree’s packaging recyclable?

A: It's important to note that kerbside recycling varies depending on where you are in the country and you should check with your local council.

70g and 25g Bars

Card sleeve recyclable with kerbside collections
Inner wrap is not currently recyclable. We will be introducing a new wrap in 2027 which will be recyclable with soft plastics.
The gold foil wrapping on the 70g bars in our library boxes is recyclable with kerbside packaging.

Hot Chocolate

Cardboard tube recyclable with kerbside collections
Inner bag is recyclable with soft plastics at larger supermarkets

Chocolate Thins

Cardboard caddy recyclable with kerbside collections
Padding is recyclable with paper in kerbside collections
Clear plastic tray recyclable with kerbside collections

Couverture

Resealable bags may be recycled as soft plastics at your local supermarket. Please check with your local council.

Post Packaging

The packaging we use to send our chocolate products and gifts and any packing materials or dividers, is recyclable as card and paper.
Occasionally, we use bubble wrap for delicate items which is recyclable with soft plastics at most supermarkets.

ALLERGEN & DIETARY INFORMATION

QUESTIONS ABOUT NUTRITION AND INGREDIENTS

QUESTIONS ABOUT COCOA

OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT FIRETREE CHOCOLATE